Monday to Friday
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
CISC provides culturally and linguistically responsive early learning support to Chinese and Vietnamese Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) caregivers to provide a nurturing, healthy, supportive environment and a strong early learning foundation for the children in their care. Using a bilingual/bicultural approach, we aim to offer information, resources, and support to FFN caregivers by building on protective factors and strengthening their skills in guiding children’s physical, social-emotional, and cognitive development and kindergarten readiness.
Our program works to counter FFN caregivers’ isolation while increasing their:
- Awareness of child development and age-appropriate expectations.
- Understanding of their child’s social, emotional, and developmental needs and ways to support them.
- Confidence in playing and engaging with their children to create a warm and intimate relationship.
- Adoption of positive discipline skills.
Our Program Team includes:
- One Program Coordinator (MSW) with experience with early learning, parent education program management, and supervision.
- Five Community Liaisons who are native speakers of Cantonese, Mandarin, Taishanese, and Vietnamese. Our Community Liaisons, who are matched linguistically and culturally with clients, are the primary point of contact and support for our FFN caregivers – conducting in-home consultations.
Our FFN Caregiver Support Program’s bilingual/bicultural team provides:
- One-on-One Consultations
Our Community Liaisons – matched linguistically and culturally to participants – provide regular one-on-one consultations based on the needs of the caregiver, child and family. Consultations provide opportunities to reinforce, practice and model skills; provide developmental screenings and assessments; follow-up about on-going issues and concerns; and offer additional information and resources.
- Developmental Screenings/Assessments
Every six months, our Community Liaisons assist FFN caregivers in filling out the Ages & Stages Questionnaire and Ages & Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional during a consultation. These assessment tools help FFN caregivers identify, understand and track their child’s development, areas for improvement and/or possible red flags. Data from the assessments then helps create an individualized plan to support the caregiver in supporting the development of the child(ren) in their care.
- Culturally Relevant, Bilingual Materials
Community Liaisons provide a culturally relevant, bilingual book to each participant’s home each month, as well as activity kits and/or arts and crafts supplies. We also provide bilingual/bicultural online videos with helpful information for caregivers.
- Support Network
We also offer support group meetings and active online groups (WeChat, Facebook) where participants can post questions and concerns to either their Liaison or to the entire FFN participant group to receive suggestions and support. Our FFN Support Group, which meets every other week for 90 minutes, provides information and resources on caregiving and child development from a strength-based perspective, encourages exploration of caregiving issues and concerns, and cultivates social connections through group feedback and mutual support.
CISC provides childcare health consultation to FFN caregivers within the Chinese and Vietnamese immigrant communities, specifically grandparents who provide regular care for their grandchildren.
